Inset: Pierre Eskew (Bessemer Police Department). Background: The Walmart in Bessemer, Ala., where Pierre Eskew allegedly stabbed a man to death during a dispute over a woman who worked with him (Google Maps).
A workplace dispute allegedly turned violent aboard a charter bus outside an Alabama Walmart, where police say a man stabbed several co-workers, killing one, after being rejected by a female colleague.
Pierre Eskew, 35, of Louisiana, was taking a snack break at a Walmart in Bessemer last Monday when tensions between him and 22-year-old Darryel Sutton escalated into a fatal confrontation on their work bus, according to authorities.
Bessemer Police Sgt. C. Selman told local Fox affiliate WBRC that Eskew and Sutton had been involved in a dispute that had been “brewing” for several hours, and possibly days. The conflict reportedly centered on a female co-worker who had turned down Eskew’s romantic advances.
Eskew and Sutton were among about 40 security guards traveling back to Louisiana after working at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, WBRC reported. During a stop at the Walmart, police allege Eskew produced a knife, fatally stabbed Sutton and wounded three other people.
“At approximately 1:13 p.m., Bessemer Police officers and Bessemer Fire Department personnel responded to reports of a disturbance on the bus,” Bessemer police said in a Facebook post. “Upon arrival, officers discovered that four individuals had suffered stab wounds during an altercation. One victim sustained critical injuries and was transported to UAB Hospital in Birmingham for treatment. The remaining victims also received medical attention.”
Police later updated the post, saying Sutton had died from his injuries. The conditions of the other victims were not immediately available.
The company that Eskew and Sutton were working for, Fess Security, declined to comment when contacted by AL.com. The other colleagues were picked up by a second bus and brought back to Louisiana.
